Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Darkhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $655 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
Learn more

Darkhan Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Darkhan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Darkhan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $655 in Darkhan.

Melbourne $2,852
Darkhan $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,075 in Darkhan.

Melbourne $4,297
Darkhan $1,075

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,496 in Darkhan.

Melbourne $5,742
Darkhan $1,496

Living in Melbourne is roughly 335% more expensive than in Darkhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Darkhan is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$5.46 MNT 19.6K

225.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$31.74 MNT 114.0K

167.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

116.37%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.39 MNT 8,575

64.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.87 MNT 3,140

260.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.57 MNT 2,065

326.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$2.35 MNT 8,427

321.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.41 MNT 12.3K

143.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.44 MNT 5,184

7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.02 MNT 3,653

195.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.06 MNT 7,389

39.81%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.16 MNT 7,750

151.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

-15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.87 MNT 17.5K

97.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$7.44 MNT 26.7K

101.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$3.21 MNT 11.5K

29.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.39 MNT 8,592

27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$3.84 MNT 13.8K

-14.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$3.07 MNT 11.0K

55.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.71 MNT 2,567

328.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.05 MNT 3,772

142.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.71 MNT 6,146

45.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.73 MNT 2,626

123.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$1.67 MNT 5,985

2538.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$10.29 MNT 37.0K

20.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.43 MNT 5,126

272.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.80 MNT 6,455

186.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.55 MNT 1,967

700.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.54 MNT 1,950

159.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

360.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.07 MNT 3,852

36.45%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.1K A$40.3K

$27.3K MNT 98.2M

2.98%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K A$37.1K

$35.4K MNT 127.4M

-26.80%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$233 A$333

$70.6 MNT 253.8K

229.39%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.28 A$39.04

$7.68 MNT 27.6K

255.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$13.82 MNT 49.7K

312.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

303.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,373 A$3,397

$831 MNT 3.0M

185.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$8,568 MNT 30.8M

255.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$83.5 MNT 299.8K

-6.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$45.49 MNT 163.5K

10.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$103 MNT 371.8K

16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$185 MNT 665.6K

-28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.32

-42.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Darkhan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Darkhan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Darkhan

$238 37% 38.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Darkhan

$92 14.3% 70.9% $225

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Darkhan

$114 17.7% 63.8% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Darkhan

$188 29.2% 9.2% $16

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Darkhan

$3.3 * 0.5% 98.1% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Darkhan

$8.5 * 1.3% 90.2% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $32.00 in Darkhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $238 per month, with Darkhan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

74,738

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Darkhan 10,440 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Darkhan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Melbourne vs Darkhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 335% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,277 in Melbourne and $983 in Darkhan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $831 in Darkhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Darkhan – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $655 in Darkhan versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Darkhan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Darkhan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 335% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.